Persephone stroked her widening belly. It would not be too long now before Macaria would be born into the world. There were so many things for a mother to fear and hope for. Persephone felt closer to Demeter than she had in a long time, faced with the prospect of motherhood herself. Her firstborn would indeed be precious to her.
The temptation to visit the Fates to ask what was to become of her daughter was strong but Persephone was cautious. She did not want to teach her daughter to fear what lay ahead of her – she wanted her to be a woman who embraced the path the Fates set her with courage and determination. She did not want to always be on the watch – as Demeter had been – for things to hurt her daughter. No, Persephone wanted for Macaria a happy future, but ultimately one shaped and picked by the goddess she would become and not one that was just a result of her mother's terror for her. She would struggle and strive and make her own future.
Some part of her knew, deep down, that her firstborn was destined to be like her husband. She knew somehow that Macaria would inherit his cool, meticulous attitude and his ability to work steadfastly towards the goal of completion. Persephone smiled and felt her daughter's soft movements. The Princess of the Underworld would be every bit as wonderful as her father.
"Very soon, little one," she crooned. "Very soon."
There were cushions on her throne to make it more comfortable. Hades had told her he wanted to stay by her side for her audience with the mortal but Persephone had gently turned him to other matters.
"My love, the poor mortal girl will be petrified," Persephone had reasoned. "And to see this curse undone, I must make judgement on my own. You are too busy fretting about Cerberus and will only panic her needlessly." Persephone stroked her husband's midnight black hair and his cheek. He nodded rueful assent. "I can do this by myself."
"I am well aware you possess far more delicacy than myself," Hades admitted. "I am moments away, love. Call to me and I shall always hurry to your side."
She sent him away with a kiss.
A servant entered bearing her beauty box the moment he flickered into shadows. They bowed and placed it on the arm of her throne. Persephone waved them away.
She touched the delicate pearl box with a fingernail, tracing her name carved into the top. Aphrodite's wedding present was an ointment of beauty and perfection in a box handcrafted by the goddess herself. Persephone had worn a little of the magical ointment on her wedding day but it had stayed locked in the bottom of a drawer ever since. There was a dangerous sort of power within the box, Persephone knew. Too much overwhelming beauty was a weapon of the most vicious sort.
She knew too of Hades's curse to Eros. It was she alone who could decide the fate of his lover, Psyche, and fulfil Hades's words. But whilst Hades admitted he had been terribly grieved and angered when he had spoken them, Persephone was curious. What kind of woman had attracted the God of Love himself, the man with those fateful golden arrows?
What sort of person had stolen the heart of the being that had seen so many magnificent beings, but fallen for none himself?
Daeira entered first and went to her Lady's side.
"Psyche, the mortal, begs an audience with the Queen of the Underworld," she announced.
Persephone nodded to the door bearers to let Psyche inside.
When the petite girl shuffled in, Persephone's heart went out to her. There were tear tracks down her dirty cheeks; the edge of her skirt was torn. There was blood on her fingertips, which were clenched together and shaking. Psyche was wide-eyed with terror and exhaustion. She fell to her knees before Persephone.
"I-I come at the behest of Aph-Aphrodite," the poor mortal stammered. "I was sent to retrieve something that sh-she lent to y-you, dear Queen. I ask hum-humbly if I may return it to her." Psyche bit at her lip. "I await your command."
Her head on the floor, Psyche trembled on the marble. Persephone stood and walked down the steps of the Throne Room towards her. She laid one gentle hand on the girl's back. She could only imagine what Aphrodite had been putting her through.
"Daeira, fetch Psyche a drink," Persephone commanded. "Sweet wine, if we have some. She is exhausted. Some bread too. She will need to get her strength back to return my gift to Aphrodite."
Daeira scampered away. Psyche looked up and met the compassionate eyes of the Queen.
Persephone carefully seated herself on the steps so that Macaria wouldn't be uncomfortable and wiped Psyche's tears from her chin.
"It's alright," Persephone soothed. "Don't be afraid. I won't hurt you."
Psyche brought one trembling hand up to wipe her nose.
"Do you know what brought you here, Psyche?" Persephone asked quietly.
"I fell in love and betrayed his trust," Psyche moaned. "He was trying to protect me. He knew Aphrodite would not approve. This is my punishment – for my weakness and my family's weakness."
Persephone smiled. Daeira reappeared with the food and drink. She set it down on the steps and urged Psyche to get some nourishment. She stood next to the Queen.
"That may be so, but there are other forces at work here. My husband was furious at Eros when he thought I would leave his realm forever," Persephone told Psyche as the woman gulped wine and nibbled at the bread. "So enraged was Hades that he laid down a curse on the god that you love. I curse you to have to endure the suffering I now shoulder, bearing witness to the despair of my love. Let you be tormented by the same fate until Persephone decides to redeem you of your wretchedness. This so do I swear, by all the powers of creation. It was not really Eros's fault. We were very much in love and we thought everything seemed hopeless. Does this sound familiar?"
Psyche swallowed the bread and gasped.
"I didn't know there was a curse," she admitted.
Persephone brushed the woman's hair back, almost as tenderly as she had done for Hades. "I was always meant to have the final say in Eros's love, Psyche. Long before he knew you existed, the Fates had written this. Yet again, another suffers for love. The circle turns."
"But you're happy here," Psyche said, a question almost in her tone. "You and Hades got to be with each other."
"Will you be happy with Eros?"
Psyche didn't hesitate. "I think he is the only thing that will make me happy ever again. I have only known happiness with him. He is my future, if you will allow it to be so, my Lady."
Persephone searched the gaze of the young passionate woman and was satisfied with what she saw. She gestured to Daeira who fetched the beauty box down from her throne. Psyche took it in one hand.
"This was a wedding gift from Aphrodite," Persephone told her. "Be very careful with it and don't let it open. It is both dangerous and wonderful, as love often is. Charon should be on his way back soon."
Psyche blinked and bowed her head.
"I don't know how to thank you," she admitted.
Persephone smiled.
"You don't have to," she told the woman gently. "I redeem Eros today, with this box and my blessing for you both. May the Fates bestow happiness onto you Psyche. You and your lover both."
Persephone heard a flurry of wings high above and grinned. She stood very slowly, careful of her bulging belly. Psyche followed after her, a few steps down. She had finished the wine and bread and she appeared stronger, steadier and full of dawning joy.
"I don't believe Charon will be necessary," Persephone proclaimed. "Eros, you may enter."
The doors swung open behind her and Psyche turned. Eros ran in and hauled her into his arms. His face was contorted with grief and relief in equal measure. Psyche held out her arms to him and in their haste, she let the box fall.
It only took a second. The box tumbled to the ground and cracked open the tiniest bit. To Persephone and the other immortals, a pure beautiful sound issued from the inside of the box together with the wonderful scent of roses.
But to Psyche, a force unlike anything she'd ever felt hit her and she collapsed unconscious in Eros's arms. Her limp head hit his chest and she did not even sigh as everything was knocked from her by the force of Aphrodite's beauty.
"Make haste," Hades commanded, appearing in his throne. "Fly directly to Olympus. Zeus has one of the apples prepared as you asked. It will save her."
Eros didn't even waste time on gratitude. He leapt up into the air and was away within the barest flicker of an eye. His golden wings pummelled the air furiously. Daeira shut the box and walked out to find some nymph to deliver the offensive thing back to Aphrodite without delay so that Psyche's task would still be complete. The door swung shut behind her.
Persephone sighed.
"She will become his wife," Hades told her. "The Fates have now decreed it so, after you chose to redeem Eros. It shall be."
Persephone almost laughed but the fresh memory of Eros's stricken face as Psyche fell lifeless into his arms was too fresh. "It's never easy though, is it?"
Hades wrapped her in an embrace which she gladly leaned back into. His touch was all the sweeter as he parted him arms and ran gentle fingers over her swelling belly, sharing the embrace with their daughter. They stood together.
"There is not much in any of the realms that is both valuable and easy to obtain," Hades whispered, kissing her swiftly on the neck. "But I believe in this instance, Eros will be faithful to her."
"Says the happily married god," Persephone teased lightly, enjoying the feel of him holding her.
He shook his head and she could hear the smile in his deep voice.
"I had to know what happened. The Fates will be kind to them both. You have given a great gift today, love."
"I have another right here," Persephone said, running her fingers around the orb of her daughter. Hades kissed her again with more force.
"You are eternally a giver of sweet gifts," he whispered into her ear in a way that made her shiver with delight. "And I believe it is high time you sought some rest for yourself."
Persephone breathed out, long and slow. He was right. The walking around was seriously taxing on her strength; even standing up and down on the stairs was an enormous effort. She folded herself happily into Hades's arms and he whisked them away through the shadows to the confines of their bedchambers. She sighed with bliss as he lifted her with no trouble whatsoever and placed her in their comfortable bed. She stretched and turned, trying to loosen her sore muscles and work the kinks out of her back.
To her surprise Hades lay beside her, content to do nothing but play with her hair.
"What?" she asked him, staring into his eyes. "Is something wrong?"
Hades shook his head.
"She reminded me of you," he admitted, rubbing Persephone's scalp and gently running fingers through her long doe-coloured locks. "She reminded me of both of us."
Persephone kissed his remembered fears away and lay there quietly with him until she drifted off into a restful daydream, content to just lie there with the love of her life for as long as possible.